Sweethearts
by ShirleyTemple24
Summary: Tony and Michelle's first Valentine's Day together as a married couple. Takes place between Day 2 and Day 3. Review and feedback is appreciated!
1. Breakfast In Bed

**CHAPTER 1**

Michelle Dessler slowly opened her eyes to a semi-dark bedroom. The light from the sunrise was beginning to peek in through the blinds. She took a breath as the realization of the date registered in her mind. It was Valentine's Day. Her and Tony's first Valentine's Day together and as a married couple. A slim smile spread across her face and she turned around onto her other side expecting to see Tony lying beside her. He wasn't there. As her lips quickly uncurled, she heard footsteps entering the room. She lackadaisically turned her head towards the door to find Tony walking in wearing a white t-shirt, sweat pants, and a confident, but casual smile. Michelle noticed a tray in his arms and a big smile promptly made its way between her bouncing, brown curls. She sat up swiftly and tucked one of them behind her ear.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Tony sat on the edge of the bed. "Happy Valentine's Day. You woke up just in time." Michelle examined the contents on the tray; a plate of French toast and scrambled eggs, four strips of bacon, and a mug of coffee.

"You made me breakfast?" Michelle didn't normally eat big breakfasts, but she loved these special moments between her and Tony. Plus she enjoyed seeing his pleasure when he prepared her something special. They both knew he was the cook of the house and he loved spoiling her.

Tony set the tray on her lap and leaned in, kissing her tenderly on the lips. Then, while adjusting the components on the tray, as if reading her mind, he began to speak to her softly, "I know you don't normally eat big breakfasts, but I thought you might like this. It's a special occasion."

She couldn't hide the smile on her face. "No it's great, sweetheart. I love it. And I'm starving." She grabbed a fork and began poking at the eggs. Tony made his way around to his side of the bed and sat down next to her. "Do you want some?"

"Nah, it's alright. Maybe after I finish my coffee." Tony grabbed his Cubs mug from the nightstand beside him and took a few sips.

Michelle leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Tony let a crooked smile slip from his lips and let out a slight chuckle. "You're welcome, Michelle." He sat there for a moment just staring at her; appreciating her cute little nose, her pouty lips, and those crazy morning curls. There was nothing on the earth that he loved more than his Michelle. He felt like the luckiest man in the world just sitting next to her, taking in her presence. He watched her as she swirled around a bite of French toast in the maple syrup on her plate. She took a bite and looked at him, her eyes bright and loving.

"What?" she asked somewhat self-consciously.

He just shook his head as if to say, "nothing."

She swallowed her bite, redirected her eyes back to the tray, and took a sip of coffee.

"Hey," Tony whispered. Michelle looked over at him. "I love you."

She smiled and kissed him on the lips. She drew back and looked into his eyes, "I love you so much."


	2. Worth The Wait

_Note: Thanks for the comments on chapter 1! This one's a bit longer. I hope you enjoy it. And a big thank you to my wonderful friend, Jade (TwentyFourGirl,) for all her encouragement and feedback! I couldn't do it without her!_

**CHAPTER 2**

Tony Almeida apprehensively sat in his director's office at CTU. He couldn't wait to be done with the day, done with the paperwork, done with the phone calls. He couldn't wait until 7 o'clock when he would be having a Valentine's date with Michelle. The day had been so stressful and thinking about what the evening held was the only thing keeping him from imploding. Stressful work days at CTU weren't lacking, but today just seemed to be building a wall of frustration around him. Nothing was going smoothly and his phone wouldn't shut up. Although it was possible that the day wasn't any worse than a usual day; it just seemed so because it was Valentine's Day and he just wanted to spend time with Michelle.

As Tony's lunch hour came around he realized he wouldn't be leaving the office. There was so much work to be done. He heard the sound of heels clicking on the ground and a short knock on the door. He looked up to see Michelle entering the windowed room. She set a stack of papers on his desk. "Division sent over some new protocols for the recent threat on the subway downtown. Chappelle wanted me to let you know he'll be here within the hour for briefing."

Tony rubbed his temples with his hand and leaned back in his chair. The last thing he wanted was new protocols and Ryan Chappelle breathing down his neck. "Thanks."

Michelle observed her husband's tension. "You wanna grab a bite to eat?"

Tony wanted to say yes, so badly he wanted to say yes, but he knew it just wasn't feasible. "I wish I could, but I've got a lot of work to do up here. I better keep on task if we want to make our reservations for tonight." Michelle looked down as her cheeks grew slightly pink; she worked to cover up a smile trying to make its way to her face. She looked up and Tony noticed her eyes glaring at him. "What is it?"

"You've been working really hard. I'll get you something to eat. What do you want?"

Tony grinned at his wife's sweet, maternal side. She was strong and intelligent and could obviously hold her own when she needed to, but she was also so gracious and caring. She had plenty of soft spots and he loved that about her. "Anything is good."

"Okay, I'll go get some Chipotle burritos. I'll be back."

"Alright. Thanks, Michelle. See ya in a bit." She flashed him a smile and headed down the stairs to the floor. Tony watched as she walked away, and took a deep breath. Having Michelle at work was great. It was days like these he couldn't imagine how he ever lived without her.

The ring of his phone interrupted his thoughts and he picked it up, "Almeida. Alright, I'll be down in a few minutes." He hung up the phone and clicked out of the computer programs that were running. In three minutes he was down in the bullpen with Chappelle.

Two hours later Tony was ambling up the stairs to his office. The meeting with Chappelle had been provoking. Apparently the recent threat had elevated to worse than they originally thought. Michelle found a huge lead and Chappelle insisted that she go out to the field and follow it. Tony hated her out in the field. Ever since she got promoted from an analyst, he had to worry about the constant possibility of her being called to field ops. She was good out there, _really _good, but the thought of her being in that much danger made his stress level spike to awful heights.

His cell phone rang and he answered as he swung open the glass door, "Almeida."

"Hey, it's me. Listen, make sure Chloe stays on point with this. We need updates fast. We're almost at the building."

"Alright. Hopefully we can get this wrapped up quick." Tony took a breath and looked down at the floor. He'd much rather Michelle be down there at a computer, but he knew she had just as much to show for herself in field ops and that's where they needed her right now. He gripped the phone close to his face. "Michelle, be careful. Okay?"

He could almost feel her lively eyes and determination through the phone. "Always."

As the evening's hours crept into view, CTU had essentially terminated the existing threat. Michelle was still in the field finishing up the remains of the job and Tony was debriefing the new shift in his department.

As soon as he finished he was back at the house he and Michelle shared cleaning up and dressing for the night he'd been thinking about all day. He took a quick shower, changed his clothes, and sprayed on a dash of cologne.

It was already close to seven o'clock and Michelle hadn't even called him since he left CTU. He pulled out his phone and clicked her speed dial number. A hoarse, somewhat breathless voice picked up on the third ring, "Dessler."

"Hey it's me. Are you almost done debriefing? It's already almost seven."

"Yeah, but the new shift has things pretty messed up down here. I'm going to have to get a couple things straightened out before I leave."

Tony looked at his watch and tried not to sound irritated, but a bit of irritation slipped out anyway. "Come on, Michelle, someone else can handle that. We finished our job for the day."

"I know; I'm sorry, Honey." She was apologetic in a non-sympathetic way. Michelle always did what had to be done. She was dedicated. But that didn't always end up being in Tony's best interest. "As soon as this is under control I'm on my way. Do you wanna meet me at the restaurant?"

Tony didn't feel so enthusiastic about starting a dinner on Valentine's Day without his wife, but in Los Angeles it was nearly impossible to get in anywhere without a reservation and he didn't want to lose his. "Fine. I'll leave now and see you there. Don't be long; they can cover whatever's going on."

"I'll see you soon." Michelle hung up the phone abruptly. Tony rolled his eyes, grabbed his jacket and wallet, and headed out the front door. It was times like this he hated the jobs he and Michelle had. When it used to be his life, he didn't care the time it took from him. The worries were a lot less when he had no one and nothing to lose. But now that Michelle was his life, he detested the moments that it stole from them.

Michelle stepped out of the shower, moving as hastily as she could. She knew Tony wouldn't care how done up she was; he just wanted her to be there with him as soon as she could get out of CTU, but there was no way she was going to the restaurant straight from work- the field no less- without a shower and some fresh make-up. The restaurant wasn't formal or exceptionally nice, but still.

She opened up her closet doors and grabbed the dress she'd planned on wearing. As she slipped it on, her cell phone buzzed on the bathroom counter top. She grabbed the phone and her make-up bag simultaneously attempting to multitask as much as she could. She flipped it open with one had and then wedged it between her ear and her shoulder, "Hi, sweetheart, I'm getting ready right now."

Tony's voice came through the other end of the line, "Michelle, it's been half an hour since I sat down. I'm sure you look fine. Just get over here already."

His tone slightly stung her at first, but she understood his position and shook it off. "I'm not going out looking like a mess, Tony. I'm moving as fast as I can. I'll be there in twenty minutes, okay?"

"Twenty minu-" Tony cut himself off before his voice continued to escalate. A short breath was released from him. "Kay, I'll see you then."

Michelle slapped the phone shut. She tried to do as much with her hair and make-up as she could in the rush of the few minutes she had. This wasn't exactly how she imagined the night would play out. She didn't want to carry a negative attitude, but she had a feeling that a handful of tension was going to accompany them at dinner.

She unplugged the curling iron after finishing touching up a final curl of her hair then slid into some heels. She grabbed her small purse and keys and swiftly made her way out of the house.

Tony sat at his table, still alone after more than half hour. His patience was wearing thin. This was not how he had hoped the night would start. He supposed that all women worried a lot about how they looked when they went out. Even with Michelle being a federal agent and having to get down and dirty at times, she was no exception to that rule. Although, she always looked good no matter what. Why did she insist on putting him through this test of patience? Tony leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead. He uttered a grumbling noise under his breath.

He looked at the little red package inside his jacket that was draped over his chair. He planned on giving it to Michelle after they ate their dinner. He wanted to get her something special and when he saw this, he just had to get it. He was excited to give it to her; if she'd get here before tomorrow came.

The waiter appeared alongside the table as he looked up. "Are we still waiting on your other half?"

"Yeah, she's on her way."

"Okay, I'll come back around in a few minutes."

Tony nodded and made an effort to offer a weak smile. He cocked his head and his eyes traveled down to his watch. He thought about calling Michelle again. As he considered the idea, a small figure in a deep red dress flashed in the corner of his eye. He turned his head and spotted Michelle walking toward the table following the directions of the maitre de. Tony's heart dropped. She looked gorgeous. Her relaxed sleeveless dress flowed perfectly around her body and down to her knees. Her thick auburn curls were gathered up behind her neck while her pink-lipped smile lit up her face in harmony with her distinctive brown eyes.

Tony's heart suddenly began pounding against his chest. Seeing Michelle like this made him feel so fragile. This beautiful girl owned every piece of him. Forever and always she would be his world. She had always been the only thing that could ever take his breath away from him. The only thing that could draw him in with so much supernatural force. Completely taking in the sight of her, he thought one thing to himself, _she was worth the wait. This night, to have her with me, was worth the wait of this whole day._

As she arrived at the table Tony stood up and greeted her. "Michelle. Sweetheart, you look beautiful." He kissed her cheek and took hold of her hands.

Michelle's lips curled up as she lowered her head. After a moment her eyes gazed up to his while a coy smile held on to her cheeks. He pulled out her chair and she sat down. "Honey, I'm sorry about being late. I just, I had to-"

Tony stopped her, "Baby, it's okay. You're here now. Let's enjoy this night."

Michelle looked a little surprised at his reaction; he wasn't always the most relaxed about things. But her eyes soon turned comforted. "Yeah, okay."

Her smile reassured the idea playing in his head once again, she was definitely worth the wait.


	3. Cherries, Chocolate, and Forever

_Note: I think I enjoyed writing this chapter the most so far. I hope you like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm happy to know that there are a couple of you out there who enjoy reading this story.__ I want to give a HUGE thank you to my friend, Jade, for her editing and __incredible__ encouragement! This wouldn't be written if it wasn't for her. Well, here it is… Enjoy!_

**CHAPTER 3**

Michelle looked across the table at Tony. This reminded her of their first date. Dinner and a movie on a night just like this. It was a couple of days after that tragic day in Los Angeles and at CTU. A nuclear bomb was nearly detonated in the city, leaving them moments away from possible death. Luckily they were able to stop the attack; however, they weren't able to prevent the explosion they were almost killed in at CTU a few hours prior. Looking back, the events of that day only brought them closer together. They may not have been where they were today if it wasn't for all that had happened. They had been forced to admit what they felt for each other earlier than they most likely would have. Michelle was grateful for the instigation. She couldn't imagine life without Tony now.

Her mind drifted to that first date. That was the night she fell in love with Tony. Yes, she fell in love with him on the first date. He was strong and brave and he cared about her so much. That night she knew there was no one else she'd rather be with the rest of her life. And there was no way she could live the rest of her life without him. Now sitting with him a year and a half later, she still felt the same way.

The waiter walked up to the table and looked at Michelle, "Ah, I see you made it. Good evening." He set drinks in front of her and Tony, "I have a Shirley Temple for you and a coke for you." Michelle looked at the drink. She had a funny love for Shirley Temples. A slightly stunned look came onto her face. The waiter must have picked up on it; he motioned toward Tony and giggled, "He ordered for you." Michelle looked at her husband and smiled. She loved how he knew her so well.

She took the drink and played with the straw, covertly looking for a cherry. Her favorite part of Shirley Temples, though it was somewhat childish, was the cherry garnish. Just as the thought of cherries formed in her head, the waiter set a small bowl of maraschino cherries in front of her drink. He teased Michelle, "This guy mentioned you love the cherries, so I brought you a couple extras. A little something for Valentine's Day, eh." Michelle's face lit up and a bashful smile appeared.

The waiter looked at both of them, "Do you need a few minutes or are you ready to order?"

Tony answered, "Well I already know what I want. I'll have the New York steak, medium, with mashed potatoes." Michelle was focused in on her menu, earnestly skimming it over, oblivious to the others' conversation. Tony nonchalantly continued on, "I'm guessing she'll have a Caesar salad and some kind of chicken… With vegetables."

Michelle looked up from her menu, "I'll have the lemon garlic chicken with a Caesar side salad."

The waiter exchanged a brief smile with Tony and began writing on his little pad. "And what would you like for your side? Mashed potatoes, baked potato, roasted vegetables, rice pilaf, or green beans?"

Michelle hesitated as she handed her menu to the waiter, "Mmm, I think I'll have to go with the roasted vegetables."

The waiter raised his eyebrows at Tony and nodded as if he was impressed. He smiled at Michelle and, again in his teasing tone spoke, pretending Tony was invisible, "He sure does know what you like. He must _love_ you." He winked lightheartedly and left the table.

Michelle's cheeks became pink as she took a sip of her Shirley Temple. She lifted her playful eyes to Tony as a sly grin curved onto her face. "Thanks, honey. I was actually craving one of these."

Tony let a slight giggle slip from his lips. "I thought you might be." He crossed his arms and leaned back casually. He was at ease at the sight of Michelle enjoying her colorful glass of cherry Seven-Up. It felt good to know she was safe here with him, just smiling and talking and being her beautiful, lovable self. He began to make relaxed conversation, "So; how was it out in the field today?"

"It was fine. We were lucky to stop the man when we did. If Jack hadn't called in with the connecting lead he got we might still be trying to pin this guy down. Chloe was a big help too. That girl sure knows her way around a computer."

Tony rolled his eyes at the name. "Chloe. You can't work with her, can't work without her."

Michelle chuckled, "That's true. But she's the best at her job. We're lucky to have her at CTU now."

"Well, 'lucky' is a relative term." Tony scratched his head and tilted it sideways. Michelle was the more gracious one of them two. She always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt. And she always looked at the positive side of things. She and Tony balanced each other out well.

Tony's earlier thoughts about Michelle's safety consumed him again. He looked at her gingerly, yet with loving passion. "Baby, I hate it when you're out in the field. The thought of something happening to you out there, it just-"

"Tony, it's okay. I'm fine. I'm trained for this. It's part of the job." She looked at him with smiling eyes. "It's just something that you'll have to get used to. Both of us will. In our line of work there's no way around it. You know that."

Tony looked down at his folded arms and then at Michelle. He kept his eyes locked on hers. "Yeah, well, I'll never get used to you being in danger. I don't like entertaining the thought of something happening to you."

Michelle gazed at him. "Sweetheart." The sound of her raspy voice comforted him for a moment. "I'd fight for my life with every fiber of my being to be with you. You'll never lose me."

An hour and a half of laid-back conversation and gentle laughs passed by. Michelle took her last couple bites of food. So far the evening had been very gratifying. She'd wanted a night like this with Tony for a while. With work how it was, it wasn't very often they got to enjoy a nice, passive dinner together with no work or phone calls or paperwork. They did have lulls, but on the whole these moments were much too rare. She loved her job for the most part, and it had been her number one priority before Tony came into her life; but she was absolutely the happiest when she was just with him. Spending time with him. Loving him.

Tony's voice broke into her thoughts, "Hey, Michelle."

Her eyes snapped towards him. "Yeah?"

"I wanna give you something." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a little box wrapped in red paper with a thin white ribbon tied around it. Michelle smiled and leisurely took it from his outstretched arm. He spoke as she un-wrapped the gift. "I wanted to get you something and I saw this and I thought you might like it. It made me think of you." His forehead was scrunched up as his admiring eyes stayed locked on her curious smile.

Michelle opened the box and inside was a solid silver heart on a simple chain. Immediately her heart was warmed. "Oh, honey." She leaned across the table and kissed his lips. Then kissed them again.

"Here let me get it." Tony took the necklace from her hand. She turned around and brushed the hair away from the back of her neck. He shifted around the table to her and wrapped the necklace around her smooth collarbone. He hooked it together and the closeness of her neck made him weak. He placed his hand on a bunch of her curls and brought his face alongside her cheek, kissing it gently. She turned around and their lips met once again. He drew back and whispered in her ear, "I love you so much, Michelle."

Keeping her face close to his, she whispered back, "Tony, I love it. It's perfect." Their eyes met and the connection between them was compelling. He gently pulled her into his arms and they embraced in a warm hug. She felt so comfortable in his arms. She breathed in his cologne as he rubbed his hand across her back. They separated and sat back in their chairs across from each other.

Tony spoke softly, "Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart."

"Oh sweetheart, I love you. This was wonderful." Michelle took hold of Tony's hand across the table and squeezed it tight.

The waiter appeared at the table once again. "All done here? Are we going to be having any dessert tonight?" Michelle looked as if she wanted to say yes. Tony looked at her with a questioning face. The waiter did the same. "Oh come on, it's Valentine's Day, I know you want something sweet. Other than him, of course."

His remark made Michelle giggle. Tony smiled modestly and spoke up after watching her eyes dance for a moment. "What do you want, Michelle?"

Her tentative response was on the line between a question and an answer, "Umm, something with chocolate?"

The waiter chuckled. "We have a lot of that. We've got our triple layer chocolate cake which is very rich and very chocolaty; we also have chocolate mousse, chocolate gelato, and mocha cheesecake."

Michelle looked at Tony sweetly and he answered the waiter, "Get her the chocolate cake." Michelle appeared pleased with the selection.

"Okay, chocolate cake it'll be. Anything else?"

Tony shook his head. "No." The waiter walked away and Tony looked back at Michelle. He found himself intoxicated by her once again. His love for this woman was completely unlimited.

After Michelle ate her dessert and Tony paid the bill, they left the restaurant and headed to a 9:15 movie. As they sat in the theater seats, Michelle thought about the movie on their first date. She remembered Tony putting his arm around her shoulders for the first time. She loved that memory. He always made her feel secure. The movie started and she subtly took Tony's hand in hers. He gave her hand a tight squeeze and her heartbeat quickened a little. She was a strong woman who was brave and intelligent; who could be in control and on top of everything, and even save the day; but when she was with Tony, she felt so delicate. She was just a girl. A girl who was warm and comfortable when she rested by his side. She could just crumble when she was in his arms. She looked at him and whispered softly, "I love you."

"I love you too, baby." Tony answered, his voice being only audible to Michelle, and he released a half-smile; his adoring eyes filled the rest of it in. They became silent as the movie began to play.

An action scene flashed across the screen. Michelle's memory of the bomb at CTU came into her head for a brief second. It was moments like this she knew how lucky she and Tony were to have each other. She held onto Tony's hand. Something from earlier came to her mind, just a single thought. _You'll never lose me. _She heard it again and again. _No, Tony, you'll _never_ ever lose me._


	4. Lots of Sugar, Lots of Love

_Note: Here is the final chapter of this story! This was my first fanfic and I had a great time writing it! My first experience was good. Thanks for reading and reviewing; I hope you enjoyed it. _

_Also, thank you so much to TwentyFourGirl for encouraging me and proofreading and just being generally super supportive. I wouldn't have even ventured into this without her! So.. Yay, Jade! :D _

_Anyways, hope you enjoy the last chapter…_

**CHAPTER 4**

Tony entered his house with Michelle following behind him. The night had been perfect. Michelle was beautiful and charming as ever. Her smile and her laugh never ceased to enchant him. There were still moments he had to remind himself that she was his. He took off his jacket and set his wallet and keys on the kitchen counter. Michelle did the same as she poured a few Sweetheart candies from the little, pink and white cardboard box into her hand and popped them in her mouth. They had been giving the boxes of the seasonal candy away at the restaurant for Valentine's Day. Tony watched her as she munched on the candy and occasionally read the sweet little word or phrase printed across each piece. He smiled at her innocent charm.

Tony held out an open hand to Michelle, "Hey."

She looked at him and spoke through a smug grin and playful eyes, "What? You want some? Well who says I wanna give you some?"

"Hey now." Tony followed along with Michelle's teasing and grabbed her around her waist, slightly lifting her off the ground, and tickling her lightheartedly.

Michelle giggled, "Alright, alright. Hold on, I'll give you some. I have to find a good one though." Tony gently let her go. She poured a few of the heart shaped candies into her hand and examined each one, shifting them around with her finger. She raised one eye at Tony as she zeroed in on a white heart. She picked it out and handed it to him. "Here."

Tony looked at the phrase on the candy and read it out loud. "Lover Boy." He gazed at Michelle and couldn't help but giggle. Her cheeks turned rosy as she smiled and bit her lower lip bashfully while her eyes stayed locked on his. "Okay let me see those." Tony grabbed the box of candy from her hand and began to fish for one of his own. He found one, picked it out from the rest, and raised it up to Michelle.

She took it in between her fingers. "My baby." Her grin grew and she tossed it into her mouth. "Okay, let's see here…" She looked through her pile again and picked out a few more. She dropped two in Tony's hand and the others onto her own tongue.

He read each piece. "I love you… XOXO." He glanced down and bit his lip. His heart flamed and his stomach sunk at the view Michelle's stirring eyes. The effect they had on him was potent. The air between them grew deeper and the banter lifted. All he wanted to do was feel Michelle in his arms. He looked down at the last couple candy hearts in his hand and gave one to her.

Michelle retrieved it slowly and read it silently this time, _KISS ME._ Before she could look up and respond Tony reached his hand to the back of her neck and brought his lips to hers. He kissed her tenderly.

They drew back only enough to breathe, their foreheads pressed against each other's. Tony breathed words into the air, "Michelle, I love you. I love you so much." He leaned in and their lips locked again. Their temperate kisses began to seize more passion. Tony grabbed the back of her head with his hand. He found himself to be intoxicated by her once again. Her soft, thick curls in his fingers and smooth skin against his drowned him into her.

Michelle pulled back from him again, grasping breaths of air. She brought her hands up to frame his face. "Tony. I- I love you too. I love you too." He leaned forward and kissed her neck and she continued to speak breathy words, "I was thinking about us tonight and CTU, and… I don't know what I would do without you, Tony. I can't imagine my life withou-"

Before Michelle could finish speaking Tony kissed her lips again. He cupped his hands around her face and pulled her closer to him, continuing to kiss her deeply. When he was able to pull himself away he spoke again, "Oh sweetheart, you make everything worth it. You have no idea." He just stared into her eyes for a long moment. He could just look at her forever. Be with her. In her arms. In her presence. That was good enough for him. He leaned in and interweaved his lips with hers once again. His heart felt as if it would jump through his chest with each new stroke of silk against his mouth. Michelle's arms were suddenly wrapped around his neck and it was all he could do to keep from collapsing. The spell that her touch put on him made him dizzy. His hands slid down to the curve in her back, triggering her hips to pull in closer to his. Seconds later they were both out of breath, and when their lips parted, their bodies stayed pressed against each other.

Michelle bound her arms around Tony's waist and squeezed him tightly. The side of her head fell onto his chest and she stayed that way, listening to the rapid, thumping sound created by the restless heart inside of him. "We should get comfortable."

He loved the way those words sounded coming from his wife. He would be all for the idea if he could get himself to let go of her long enough for them to change. He couldn't understand what it was, but there was always a supernatural sort of pull that didn't allow him to let go when he was tangled with her. He kissed the top of her head, the smell of her hair making his eyes roll to the back of his head and around again. "Mmm. Sounds good to me. How about I get those leftover chocolate covered strawberries from the fridge and meet you in bed?"

Michelle brought her eyes to look at Tony's. "More sugar? I haven't had enough for one night? What are you trying to do, sweetheart? Fatten me up?" She giggled and kissed his nose.

"That's right. You're an Almeida now, babe. I gotta keep you full or my family will start nagging about how I'm not keeping you fed."

"Oh okay, I see. Well if it's for the sake of the Almeida name you should definitely grab those then. There's never such a thing as too much chocolate anyways." She pecked his lips and locked eyes on his. "See ya in a minute." Her voice was low and thick, implying that she, also, was victim to the intoxication. She had to work to pull herself out of his tight grasp. He reached forward for one more kiss before she left the room.

Michelle found Tony propped up in their bed holding a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and wearing a smile that naturally tickled her insides. She crawled into bed beside him and leaned up against his side. Her fingers smoothly ran down his arm and found their place flawlessly entwined between his. Tony grabbed a strawberry with his free hand and crossed it over to her mouth and fed it to her. She delicately took a small bite.

"Ah, come on, what kind of bite is that?"

"A normal one." She smiled at his playful talk.

"Nah, you can't eat a strawberry like that. Come on, eat the whole thing." He lifted it to her mouth again and she bit down on the whole thing, releasing crumbly chocolate pieces all over their laps.

Michelle couldn't stop the giggles from slipping through chocolate covered lips. She tried to speak through full, chipmunk-like cheeks, "Now look at the mess you made."

"Hey, I'm not the one who can't properly eat a chocolate covered strawberry." He grabbed one for himself and took the whole thing in one, big bite. "Mmmm. That's how you eat a strawberry, Michelle."

"Well I guess you better feed me another one then, so I can try again." She licked her lips while Tony grabbed another strawberry and lifted it to her mouth. She tilted her head back and engulfed the fruit, producing no mess this time, other that the chocolate smeared across her lips.

"Hey, atta girl. Look at that." Tony praised his wife's efforts and brought her hand up to his lips, kissing each of her knuckles.

Michelle smiled, her eyes squinting tighter as her grin grew wider. She swallowed the mouthful and licked the chocolate off her lips again. "Yum. It definitely tastes better when you eat it like that."

"I told you so." Tony set the plate to the side on the nightstand beside him. He wrapped his arms tight around Michelle, pulled his body closer to hers, and brushed his lips softly against her cheek. "Did you have a good day, sweetheart?"

Michelle returned his kiss with an identical one on his cheek. "The best Valentine's Day I've ever had."

Tony skimmed his fingertips along Michelle's side and nuzzled her neck. "Good. I'm glad." He kissed her neck and kissed his way up to her cheek, finding his way to her lips, meeting them tenderly with his own. "I love you so much, baby."

Michelle bestowed another kiss upon him. It lasted longer than the one before and tasted sweet. It was smooth like the dark silk that had been smudged across their lips. "I love you too, sweetheart." Her hand came up to the back of his head and she grasped locks of his hair. The deepness in each of their eyes spoke the strong feelings of love and passion that lived between them, something they could never articulate themselves. Her mouth pressed against his again, strength overtaking the gentle contact of the previous caress. Between the rapid heart beats from each of their bodies and increasing lack of full breaths, electricity ran its course through their skin. He looked into her eyes, and desire couldn't be restrained anymore. He reached for the base of her neck and pulled her into him. Her hands clutched onto his shoulders and he slid his hands down her back, pulling her closer and closer with every love-stricken kiss.


End file.
